Fight
by spooksfan08
Summary: A case Janine worked on without Richard years earlier is back to haunt her. Can the rest of the team help her face the demons that nearly cost her everything and can Richard really understand why she is so determined to stop the killer? Is she at risk of loosing all she has worked so hard to achieve?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer I do not own Blue Murder. All rights belong to ITV and the makers of the programme. No copyright infringement is intended or should be inferred. This story follows on from my previous Blue Murder Stories Fear and Something?**

**Rain.**

The skyline was grey and miserable as the clouds opened above them. The rain soaked streets were bitterly cold as the two detectives walked away from the murder scene in silence. The only sound was the rain beating a staccato beat on the rubbish bags on the floor around the wasteland. DCI Janine Lewis fought against the bile rising in her throat.

"You ok?" Richard turned to face her. He had seen Janine become upset at murder scenes before; especially those which involved particularly brutal murders such as those of young children but he had never seen such a viseral reaction from her.

"Dumped like a sack of rubbish." She stared off into space, trying to process what she had just seen. It had been six months since she had been attacked and dumped in similar circumstances. It had been the start of so many changes in her life that she was still getting her head around them. The fact that Richard was now allowed to touch her hand when she was away from the rest of the team. Although it was known that they were now together there was no way she was going to risk anyone, let alone Hogg thinking Richard got special treatment just because of their personal lives.

"Janine."

"No I am not ok, Richard." She stormed off towards the car just as the heavens opened once more.

####################

"So." Kat stared at the murder board. "There are three victims all aged about 40. All from the same area."

"Yeah." Shapps folded his arms as he watched the youngest member of the team try to piece together the photographs of three women stared back at her. He sighed as he tried to piece together the information. Butchers shook his head.

"Where's the Guv?"

"No idea." Kat shrugged her shoulders. "Saw her and Richard leave the crime scene when the SOCO boys were still there."

"Ah you luv are old school." Shapps laughed. "All the new kids in uniform call them CSI these days."

"Last time I checked we weren't in America." Kat laughed. "CSI indeed."

"Not like the Guv to just walk away from the scene though. Normally she is there issuing orders and making sure we all know what we are supposed to be doing."

"Yeah." Butchers sighed. "Yeah, you are right."

############################

Janine closed her eyes, relived that she was home before the kids were. Michael would be away at university for a few days yet and Ellie had gone away with the school. Only Tom and Charlotte were likely to see her. Before Richard could say anything she picked up her mobile to call Lucy to ask her to collect the kids and keep them with her until she could collect them.

"Janine."

"Just need five minutes to get myself together. Lucy is great with the kids. I know they wont mind her picking them up from school and nursery."

"Ok." He walked towards her, aware for the first time she was visibly shaking. Her eyes flicked to his for a moment before fixing her gaze on the buttons of his navy blue shirt. He rested his hand on her shoulder; the other touching her chin to make her look at him.

"It's." She shook her head.

"You knew that last victim." Richard stated rather than asked. Janine nodded.

"Yeah."

"Janine." He didn't want to push her but he knew there was a good chance he was going to watch her shut down to cope with whatever was going through her mind. Her eyes flicked up to his as she tried to formulate her thoughts.

"Yeah, I knew her."

"Who was she?"

"Hannah Grovers."

"How?"

"I was working for Special Branch on secondment. When you were with Vice before we started together. She was an informant. It's happening again. Oh my God, Richard. It's happening again."

#####################

A/N Worth going on?


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer I do not own Blue Murder.**

**Shock.**

"So what have we got?" Janine marched into the office as her team all murmured 'nothing' and 'not a lot'. Richard rolled his eyes before perching on the edge of Kat's desk. The young detective bit her bottom lip before staing at the murder board.

"Not much."

"Not much." Janine repeated. "How can we have not much? Three women all brutally murdered over the last three weeks yet we are no nearer to finding out who killed our first victim."

"Tracey Rees, Sarah Lloyd and Hannah Grovers." Richard tried to deflect Janine's temper. There was no point in taking things out on the young detective. "All women were in their late thirties, all single - never married and all had fairly decent jobs."

"So?" Shapps interupted.

"So?" Janine scoffed. "What links them? A teacher, a nurse and a business woman. What links them?"

"Tracey taught English at St Catherine's Church School, Sarah worked in the Mental Health Unit at St Barnabus and Hannah was CEO of her families firm." Kat stated calmly.

"What was her business called?" Butchers began flicking through the papers on his desk. "Saints and son?"

"Saints." Janine sighed. "St Catherine, St Barnabus and Saint and son." She repeated the list. "That's the link. Saints."

###################

Janine sat at her desk working through the forensics information and the reports the others had left on her desk. She was exhausted and knew that Richard at least had spotted something was wrong. She turned the last page on the file before closing her eyes. The image of Hannah's body was ingrained on her psychi forever. She hadn't heard the door open and jumped when she looked up to see Richard standing staring at her.

"Richard."

"Janine." He smiled at her raised eyebrow.

"You need a break."

"Yeah." Janine nodded. "A break in the case."

"No. You need a rest. I know you wont admit it but you are taking this case to heart. You knew that girl? Hannah Groves." He watched her look away and knew he was right. "How?"

"Leave it, Richard."

"No." He walked across to her, resting against her desk. "This case is quickly turning into a serial killer case and you are already taking it personally. C'mon Janine."

"What? What exactly am I supposed to say? A victim in a murder case. A multiple murder case." Janine got to her feet. "Is a former informant of mine."

"Hannah Grovers?" Richard barely contained his surprise.

"From years ago." Janine avoided his eyes. "From before I came to this place. She was an informant."

"You said that."

"Registered and everything. Ex wife of a major player on the London drug scene."

"This was when? Before Charlotte was born?"

"Before Tom was even thought of." Janine smiled slightly. "Ellie was a baby and Michael was in nursery school. Remember when I was seconded to Special Branch? Before I was offered this job."

"Yeah." Richard nodded.

"There was this case. Hannah came to me, said she had information but if her husband ever found out." Janine shook her head. "If he ever found out."

"Then he would kill her." Richard finished her sentance for her. "Janine, you have to report this to Hogg."

"No." Janine snapped as she met his gaze.

"This is dangerous."

"You think I don't know that." Janine snapped. "If I go to Hogg with this then there is a very good chance she'll throw me off this case."

"But."

"There are two other women who are dead." Janine stated accurately. "They deserve justice just as much as Hannah does." Richard smiled slightly, she sounded more like his Janine. Her eyes widened when he said so.

"Well?" Richard smiled at her. "You are more like the Janine I know and love."

"Don't be so soft." Janine blushed furiously. "The problem remains Hannah's husband has to be a suspect in her murder but we have to consider the fact that we don't have a serial killer but in fact three distinct cases."

"Three murderers for three victims?" Richard nodded. Both fell silent until Shapps opened the office door without knocking. Janine raised an eyebrow.

"Guv? Boss?"

"What?" Janine turned away from Richard.

"The post mortem results on the first two victims are in. Tox is going to take a lot longer on Hannah."

"Well, go on then." Richard watched while the DS took a deep breath.

"Both Tracey and Sarah were killed by the same weapon. Both had significant amounts of alcohol on board while both had Sarah also had a fair amount of Ketamine and dihydrocodeine in her sytstem."

"Sedatives and painkillers? Was she ill? Did we miss something in her medical history? Is there something there that links our victims?"

"No she was perfectly healthy, apart from a bit of asthma." Shapps replied. "Hannah had migraines and Tracey was a diabetic but none of them were ever hospitalised for anything. No, the ME thinks she was inected with the drugs during her murder. The concentration was too high to be anything other than that."

"Right." Janine sighed before dismissing the junior detective.

"Would he have killed all three women?" Richard turned to Janine. "Hannah's husband?"

"Jacob Grovers." Janine folded her arms to stop herself from shaking. "Yeah, I reckon. If we can find the link between all three women it'll lead us back to him."

"Ok." Richard stepped slightly nearer to her. "You're scared of him."

"No I am not." Janine huffed in protest. "I am not scared of him."

"Then what?"

"I've seen what he can do. I've seen what he is capable of."

################################

A/N Thank you to the one person who reviewed my last chapter. Hi Red Writer. I hope you like this chapter too :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer not mine. Please review.**

**Needles in Haystacks?**

Richard closed his eyes as he tried to work out what was going on. He was exhausted and the gentle tap tap of the rain on the bedroom window did nothing to settle him. He couldn't get the image of Janine's angry and scared look as he listened to her tell him about her involvement with Hannah Grovers. He ran a tired hand over his face before swinging his legs out of bed. He knew Janine hadn't told him the whole story. He just knew there was something she was trying to hide. _But why? _

#################

"Have you done your homework?" Janine threw the tea towell somewhere in the direction of the kitchen sink as Tom and Ellie nodded simultaneously. She couldn't help but smile at the pair. "All of it?"

"Mum." Tom rolled his eyes.

"Good, well go on then. The match is on in five minutes. Michael has already comandeered the living room." She smiled as Charlotte held her arms up to her. "And you need a bath! Stinky Miss. What about you Ellie?"

"Going to ring Mark in a minute."

"You spent all day at school with him. Oh come on Ellie, not another phone bill like last time." Janine had a feeling she was pleading to deaf ears. Ellie and Mark were inseperable. _Bit like me and Richard_, she thought to herself.

"We wont be long. Isn't Richard coming round to watch the match with the boys?" Ellie picked up her glass as Tom ran past her to the living room.

"Not tonight." Janine sighed. She had a feeling Richard knew she was not telling him the entire truth. It had been so long ago she wasn't certain what was memory and what was her mind filling in the gaps.

"Mum?" Ellie watched her mother as she moved around the kitchen trying to avoid having the conversation with her sixteen year old child.

"He's busy."

"Are you ok? You and Richard?"

"Yeah." Janine nodded. "Why wouldn't we be? Go on. RIng Mark." She smiled as Ellie raised an eyebrow and left the room. shaking her head she prayed Richard would appear,just so she could see he was ok.

#####################

"Saints." Butchers walked along eating his crips as he spoke. "I don't get it."

"Neither do I." Shapps sighed. "Kat said she was going to look into the victims' backgrounds a bit more, see if there's another connection we are missing but honestly? I reckon we are looking for a needle in a haystack."

"But three women, all late thirties, early forties and all with good jobs."

"All brunette, all slim. All apparently murdered by the same person." Shapps stopped dead in his tracks. "How many people have to be killed before we got a sodding serial killer to deal with?"

"Three or four?" Butchers swallowed another crisp.

"Shit." Shapps dug in his pocket as his mobile began ringing. "Shit. It's Kat. She's found something."

#########################

"REF!" Michael resisted the urge to throw his can of coke at the television screen. Ellie muttered something about stupid boys and stupid football while Charlotte and Tom laughed at their older brother. Janine stood in the doorway wondering when she had got so lucky. All four of her kids were healthy and safe. It was more than alot of parents had. Sighng heavily she walked towards the front door as the bell rang.

"Hi." She smiled at the sight of a soaked Richard standing on the doorstep.

"Hi." He smiled back, his hair plastered to his face as he looked up at her. "It's chucking it down out here."

"I had noticed." Janine folded her arms, smiling slightly she showed no sign of letting him in. He shook his head, realived that she was back to her old self. He hated seeing her in the state she had been at the station.

"Look." She stepped back and ushered him into the house. "We need to talk." He watched as she nodded.

"Hogg is on the warpath."

"When isn't she? Hey." He touched her arm as she stared at the floor. He could see the barrier between them coming up.

"Richard!" He jumped slightly at the sound of Tom calling his name. "Michael is in a sulk. The ref is an idiot!"

"I'll be ther in a few minutes Mate." He called. "Just need to talk t your Mum first."

"Ok." Tom laughed as the Ref did something else to offend his teenage brother.

"Talk?" Janine closed the door to the living room.

"Yeah. You keep telling me you had Hannah Grovers as an infomant but there is no record of her on the database, which means she was either unregistered which is not like you or she was undercover."

"She was not unregistered." Janine hissed. "Since when have you known me to use an unregistered informant? For crying outloud Richard."

"So? You told me she was registed."

"She was. In London. With MI 5."

"She was a spook? Bloody Hell."

"No she was not a spy. I told you she was married to a right nasty piece of work. Jacob Grovers was a man the security services were interested in. He wa a drugs baron and had a sideline in human trafficking and prostitution. He sold some drugs to a known terrorist organisation and Hannah sold him out to them. That's why she is not on the Met's database. She's on MI 5's." Janine folded her arms across her chest, the memories of the day she met Jacob Grovers at the forefront of her mind. Richard frowned slightly as she closed her eyes.

"Janine."

"He is a violent man."

"What happened to him?"

"This was over ten years ago. You were already up here. Me and Pete were talking about moving home." Janine sighed. She glanced at the closed living room door knowing she didn't want her kids to overhear anything she was about to say.

"Go on."

"You are not interviewing me, Richard. I am not a suspect here." She hissed.

"No. No you are not. But for crying out loud I am shit scared here Janine! Just tell me this isn't Mason again." Janine touched the scar in her hairline almost involuntarily at the mention of the man's name. It had been almost six months since the man had tried to kill her. The mental scars were as fresh as the physical scars.

"It isn't like that." Janine leant heavily against the kitchen table. "It was the first and last tiime I went undercover. I befriended Hannah but at the same time crossed paths with the investigation MI 5 were conducting. I thought their officer was going to throw me to the lions but he thought he same as me. Luckily we looked after each other and last I heard we are both here to tell the tail."

"Grovers got life. Hannah?"

"A new ID. She should be anywhere, should be anyone but the girl on that slab. Only she went back to him, begged us to keep her anonymous, said he'd kill her."

"What about the other victims? Tracey and Sarah? You know them too?"

"No." Janine answered honestly. "But I'd bet Hannah did."

"Ok." Richard ran a hand over his face. "Look, why am I getting the feeling you aren't telling me something? This is us, you don't have to hide anything." Janine smiled, she knew he was right.

"Ok, here." She pulled the neck of her shirt open to reveal the faded silver scar that ran from below her collar bone to the centre of her chest. She knew he had avoided asking her about it. "See this?"

Richard nodded as his eyes followed the line her fingers traced. "That was from Grovers' the day the spooks arrested him. If it hadn't been for that field officer I would be dead but he looked after me while his mates dragged him away. It was Hannah that told him where we were. She knew if Jacob found out she had helped us he would kill all of us."

Richard blinked as he stepped closer to her. He could only imagine what had gone on. The scar looked as though it was a surgical incision. He knew he would never meet the man that had saved her life but he was glad he had been there.

"Sorry." Richard sighed "I am so sorry."

"Hey." Janine let him pull her into his arms. "Hey, I'm ok. We're ok. It was a long time ago." She sighed as he buried his face in her neck and hugged her to him. He pulled back just as Janine touched his face.

"Sorry." Richard kissed her gently. "I."

The sound of her phone ringing pulled them apart. She grabbed the mobile on the third ring.

"Ok, yeah." Janine paused. "Kat, slow down. No, no it's fine. I'll get Michael to watch the little ones and I'm on the way in." She hung up.

"What?"

"We have the murder weapon and a man in custody."

"Who?"

"That, is the question. C'mon." She grabbed her jacket and lead a sodden Richard back out of the house.

####################

A/N Please review.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer still not mine. Very very slight cross over with Spooks, which I don't own either. Literally blink and miss it. **

**Dreams?**

Kat stared at the white board at the end of the office as she tried to see a pattern in the killings. She had read enough about serial killers to know that there had to be a pattern there somewhere. They just hadn't found it yet. Running a hand through her curly black hair she turned away from the board, knowing Shapps and Butchers were likely to be arriving any time soon.

"How are you linked?" She asked the photographs of the dead women, sighing heavily she walked back to her desk hoping they would find the killer before he or she found another victim.

###################

"Are you serious?" Janine marched ahead of her boss as Hogg scoffed.

"Deadly."

"You seriously want me to talk to the media? After last time?" Janine scoffed.

"Yes." Hogg almost yelled. "After last time."

Richard shook his head as he watched both women argue. He knew Janine hated having anything to do with the press at the best of times. Now that they were dealing with a potential serial killer she was even more determined to keep away from the media,

"I don't belive this! Surely my time is better spent actually working the case rather than chatting up reporters. What happened to Molly anyway? Isn't that her job?"

"Janine." Hogg stopped as she reached the inner office. "It is your job. Molly has sheduled a press conference for 4pm. Lets have some news for the press by then."

"Oh thanks." Janine snapped. "What am I supposed to do? Rustle up some info on a plate and pray someone has a crisis of conscious and rings us."

"Yes." Hogg snapped before walking out, just missing barging into Richard as he headed towards the office.

#################

"Now, the way I see it." Shapps walked alongside Butchers as they headed towards the car park.

"Oh here we go." Butchers smiled slightly, fishing in his pockets for the car keys.

"The Guv is somehow convinced we can't get any help from this press conference the boss is making her do."

"Might just pull at someone's conscious though. I mean those women all had friends and family. People they worked with. Someone has to know something."

"Yeah." Butchers nodded. "But we also need a break. You sure going to visit Tracey's family will help? I mean we know she was killed when her parents were on holiday and her brother away with the lads from work."

"It can't not help." Shapps sighed as they headed towards the door. "What we really need is that stony faced scum bag to open his mouth and we may actually find out what happened."

"Yeah?" Butchers started the engine. "Got a feeling Griffiths is nothing to do with this though. I might be wrong." He pulled the car out of the station carpark as Shapps rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, mate." He smiled. "You usually are."

#########################

"You alright?" Richard closed the office door behind him as Janine sagged in her seat.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She snapped as he raised an eyebrow. "Sorry."

"It's ok."

"No, Richard. It is not ok. It is far from bloody ok as it can get." She threw her pen on the desk as she closed her eyes.

"Hey." He rested a hand on her arm as she visibly tried to calm herself. "What is it?"

"How long has Lee Griffiths been in the cells?"

"Two hours. We have some time before we have to charge or release him." Richard watched as she nodded slightly.

"I just don't see how any of the women, let alone Hannah would come across his path. "I mean he has been in and out of hostels since he was kicked out the forces six years ago." Janine sighed heavily. "This is insane. I just know Hannah's husband is tied up in all this. I just know it."

"Knowing it and proving it are two different things. Kat is running a background check on Griffiths, there may be a connection to the dead women yet. Do you want me to take her with me to interview him?"

"No." Janine got to her feet. "No, I'll lead the interview. Just." She caught his eye as he smiled slightly.

"I know." He squeezed her hand as she returned the smile.

#######################

Shapps sighed heavily as he left the modern built house on the outskirts of the city. He hated talking to relatives. There was nothing he could say to make the grief any better. It was times like this he wished he still smoked.

"Well, that went well. I don't think" Shapps glared at his friend. He marched towards the car without saying a word.

#################

"My name is DCI Janine Lewis." Janine stated as she sat down opposite the man Shapps had arrested late the previous evening.

"Alright?"

"I am." Janine sat down as a flash of recognition hit her.

"You did alright for yourself, then." The man smirked.

"Sorry?" Richard leant forward.

"Jan." He nodded towards Janine. "Did ok for herself. I though he had killed you and that Danny bloke when I saw yer. You still working with that mad man?"

"Janine." Richard got to his feet as his senior officer stormed out the room and slammed the door behind her. Griffiths laughed as he realised she had remembered everything about their last meeting. Richard shot him a warning look before following her out of the room.

################

"Give me five minutes on my own with that scumbag." Janine folded her arms as Richard stared at her open mouthed.

"What? What just happened in there?"

"Nothing."

"That." Richard paused was not nothing. "And who was that Danny he was talking about?"

"Danny Hunter." Janine sighed. "A good man. Saved my life."

"The spook?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe he can shed some light on all this. Call him." Richard stepped closer to her.

"Might be a bit difficult."

"Why?"

"He was murdered about six years ago." Janine sighed. "I called an old contact before Hogg started throwing her weight around. He was killed saving his partner. It was her birthday." Richard swore as he looked along the corridor, aware that there was no one else around he pulled her into his arms.

"Hey." She hugged him back before stepping out of his arms. "Work? Remember?"

"Yeah." He smiled, glad that he still had the ability to make her blush. "What did he mean? Back in there?"

"Danny got in the way of me and a second encounter with a very sharp knife. It is wasn't for him and his friends, Tom I think one was called we'd have died there and then. Lee Griffiths was with Grovers when he gave me this." She pointed to the mark on her neck. Richard swore.

"You think he would have had a grudge against the two other women as well as Hannah?"

"Could be. He really had a bad time at school and I reckon the psychiatric nurse had met him once or twice. C'mon." She headed back to the room. "Richard. He doesn't get to spook me twice, now c'mon." Richard smiled slightly before turning and following her into the interview room.

###################

A/N Please review.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer I do not own Blue Murder.**

**Showtime?**

The Conference Room on the ground floor of the station was probably Janine's least favourite room in the building. She had memories of previousl appeals for information as she sat facing baying journalists with either one or two grieving relatives at her side. She had always known the chances of finding the missing person, the relative of the person at her side decreased as time went on. It was a sad statistic that made her job so all consuming. If they could beat the statistic, if they could find the missing husband, wife or child maybe then she could do some good. Maybe she could find a way of putting the bogeyman in prison and put a family back together. Now they had three dead women, all of which should be in the prime of their lives and she could do nothing to ease the pain of their respective families. Nothing she could do to stop their hearts breaking anymore.

"Janine?" Richard turned to face her as she stared at the tables on the small stage where she would sit, probably next to Hogg on this occasion while her friends and colleagues did the leg work.

"Yeah?"

"Did you speak to Hogg? Tell her about your past experience with at least one of the victims?"

"Hannah? She already knew. My time in London is in my case file."

"Right." Richard raised an eyebrow as she folded her arms and rested her head on the doorframe.

"Why? Why do this, Richard?"

"It may jog someone's memory? It might give us the lead we so desperately need."

"I didn't mean that." Janine sighed. "I didn't mean why do the sodding press conference."

"I know." His voice dropped. "I know what you meant." Her eyes locked with his for a moment as she nodded slightly. "You ok?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

"No."

"It's this Danny bloke? The Spook?"

"I just don't know how he died. That's whats getting to me. It's classified. I can't even find his Mum to ask her. Apparently his family never knew what he really did. They thought he worked for the Ministry for Food and Agriculture. He was so young."

"Yeah." Richard watched as she turned away from him.

"Do you think his death is linked to all this?"

"Well, that's just it. Isn't it? It might be. Grovers may have caught up with him again or it could have been a car accident or an illness. I just don't know. What I do know, is it is a real tragedy that young man who saved my life is not walking the streets of London anymore."

Richard rested a hand on her shoulder as her eyes fluttered closed.

"Janine."

"And I know I am going to find the bastard responsible for killing Hannah and the others. And if looking like a plank on the news is how we do it, then I'll do it."

"That's my girl." Richard smiled slightly at her as she raised an eyebrow.

"I am not your girl." She snapped, but the malice wasn't there. "I'm your Guv."

"While we're at work, anyway." Richard smiled and followed her back into the main corridor. He almost felt sorry for the man that had killed the three women. There was no way Janine or he was going to let this one go.

##############

Butchers stared at Shapps as the older man talked on his phone. The older man was clearly concentrating on something but Butchers had no idea what he was doing. Shapps slammed the phone back on its cradle as Kat turned to face him.

"What's up with you?" She smiled slightly as the senior DS ran a tired hand over his face.

"Shapps?" Butchers raised an eyebrow as he watched the colour drain from his friend's face. "What is it?"

"Where's the Guv?"

"Why?" Kat leant against her desk.

"I think I just spoke to our killer."

####################

A/N Did Shapps just take a phone call from the killer? Please review.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer not mine.**

**Talk?**

Butchers stared at Shapps as the older man ran a hand over his face. He was certain that he had just spoken to the man who was responsible for three murders. Kat swore profusely as she dialled an external number. Butchers turned and grabbed his jacket as Shapps shook his head.

"Kat? Any chance the call can be traced?"

"Not now." She snapped. "Are you sure? What did he say?"

"Not much." Shapps sat back down just as Janine and Richard walked back in. The room fell silent as both senior officers looked around.

"Something I said?" Janine smiled as Richard rolled his eyes.

"No Ma'am." Kat raised her eyebrows as Shapps pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I just answered the phone."

"Oh, right. Anyone calling that I should be worried about? Not that idiot from the local rag again?"

"No." Butchers leant against his desk. "Not her."

"Who then? Shapps?"

"I think I just spoke tot he person responsible for the murders."

"Bloody Hell!" Richard snapped. "When?"

"Just now." Shapps met his superiors gaze. "He didn't say much."

"Definitely a man's voice?" Janine asked. Richard smiled slightly, the detective in Janine just wouldn't give up even when she really should.

"Yeah." Shapps nodded. "Definitely a bloke."

"Well?" She stepped nearer to him. "What did this bloke say?"

"Not much."

"Go on." Richard frowned. It was rare to see Shapps as visibly shaken as he was. "What did he say?"

"He asked if this was Murder and Major Incident team. I said yeah. Then he asked if I was a copper. So I said yeah. Then he said and I quote. Three down, one to go."

"So he's going to kill again." Kat rested her hands on her hips as she spoke. Butchers swore fluently while Janine seemed to have the wind knocked out of her.

"No." She shook her head. "No he damn well isn't."

"But?"

"He thinks he is. He wants us to think he is but there is no way he is going to kill anyone else. Not on my watch." Janine marched towards her office and grabbed her rain coat. "Richard."

"Boss." He followed her towards the door. Kat picked up the phone just as Janine walked out into the main office.

"Butchers. You and Kat find out anything and everything you can about our victims. There has to be more than just the Saints connection. Three women, all local and all with good jobs. Is it one killer like we always thought or is there another two killers out there? Are we looking for a serial killer or three murderers working together? Shapps? Sit by that phone incase he rings again. And for God sake, trace the call the minute the damn phone rings."

"I thought you had a press conference?" Shapps answered.

"Yeah I do." Janine nodded. "Not until 4. And i will be back fo that. Now I am going to the mortuary. Someone has to get the post-mortem results and toxicology. Then I am gong to drag in everyone we can find who may have seen the women the days they died. We find this scum before he kills anyone else." She marched out the door as the rest of the team stared at her in silence. Richard sighed heavily before pointing in the direction of the door and following her.

#####################

Richard drove in silence as Janine stared straight ahead. He was convinced she was still taking the case too much to heart but there was no way he was going to be able to tell her that without causing a major argument.

"What?" Janine huffed as he turned the corner towards the mortuary car park.

"I haven't said anything."

"Exactly. Normally you can't keep your opinions to yourself."

"Oh thanks." Ricahrd knew seh was gearing up for an argument but he had no idea what about. "I am allowed to be worried about you."

"No." Janine hissed. "No you aren't. I'm the DCI. I am supposed to be the one worried about the rest of the team. Not the other way around."

"Oh for God's sake." He parked the car haphazardly in the nearest parking space he could find. "Will you listen to yourself? I am not worried about DCI Lewis. I am worried about you! And yes, the fact I am head over sodding heals in love with you means I am allowed to be worried. Ok!" He opened the car door and walked towards the main entrance of the mortuary as Janine sat there open mouthed.

"Ok." She mumbled before unclipping her seatbelt and following him. She bit her bottom lip once she finally caught up with him, determined that he wouldn't see the dopey grin she was trying to suppress. "Got that little outburst out of your system?" She asked as he pressed the bell to alert the Mortuary Tech that they were there.

"Yeah." Richard turned away from her. Janine raised an eyebrow.

"Good." She nodded just as the blonde woman appeared in the doorway. "Because the feeling is mutual. Hello Dawn. Got anything for us?" She asked without missing a beat. Richard smiled to himself and shook his head as he followed her into the main office of the morgue.

"It's all there in the case file. Tox report is pretty unremarkable." Dawn shrugged. "But I am waiting for the last test to come back. Shouldn't be long now. Tissue analysis is a bugger, especially as you lot think I can work miracles."

"Dawn." Richard smiled.

"Oh stay there. I'll get you the last couple of pages of the report. It's still on the printer." She huffed and mumbled something about her secretary being incompetent. Janine glanced across at Richard, noticing he had the same daft grin over his face.

"Oh give over." She smiled "Not like I haven't said it before."

"True." Richard smiled, glad that they were alone for a moment.

"Well, there you are then." She smiled just as Dawn returned with the papers she wanted.

###############

A/N Just a filler chapter. I'll update soon, if anyone wants me to.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer yeah still not mine :(**

**Spotlight.**

The drive back to the station from the morgue was far less tense than the drive there had been. Richard remained silent as he drove, allowing Janine time to read Dawn's report. It seemed she had been right, the toxicology report hadn't been particularly helpful.

"Well none of the women were drunk or high as kites when they were killed." Janine sighed.

"Is that helpful?" Richard asked as he glared at the cyclist that had slowed down the traffic.

"Yeah, well it confirms our theory that they didn't meet our murderer in the pub."

"True." Richard nodded. "But it doesn't tell us where they were when they met."

"No." Janine sighed. "Maybe this stupid press conference will help us find that out. You never know Shapps may have had another heart to heart with him before we get back."

"You know? I don't think I've ever felt sorry for Shapps before."

"No." Janine smiled. "No, neither have I."

#############

"Where are they?" Hogg marched into the main office of the Murder and Major Incident team. Kat shrugged her shoulders as Butchers placed the phone back on the desk.

"Went to the morgue. Dawn said the test results are back." Shapps looked up as Hogg glared at him. He knew she didn't really have much time for Janine or the team and he couldn't find anything about the woman he actually liked. From what he saw Hogg was a career copper who didn't really care what happened to her team.

"They had better be back here at 4. I've got half the press on my back already."

"Yeah Ma'am." Butchers nodded. "Just saw a van from BBC news and ITN out there already." Shapps rolled his eyes, he hated the press as much as Janine did. As far as he could see journalists were a necessary evil.

"I bet Sky and half the red tops will be there." Kat stared at the computer as she spoke.

"Oh God are they?" Janine asked as she walked into the office. RIchard threw his jacket off and walked towards his desk.

"Yeah." Shapps turned to her. "Any news from Deadbeat Dawn?"

"Don't call her that." Richard smirked. He knew Shapps and the stoic pathologist had never got along. He knew there was no way that was going to change now.

"Well, she's got about as much life in her as that desk. It's what comes of being around dead people all the time."

"Maybe." Janine smiled as Hogg huffed. "But she has got us evidence that no one else could get. None of our victims were drugged. None were drinking heavily. Our first victim had been on the pop the night before her death but we can account for her whereabouts. There was a works' party. Apparently one of Tracey's friends was going on maternity leave."

"Alcohol at a baby shower?" Hogg rolled her eyes.

"Not for the mum, just the others. Apparently Tracey was a bit of a party girl." Richard joined in. "ANyway, it's ten to four. Hadn't you better be going down to the conference room?"

"No." Janine sighed. "They can wait five minutes."

"DCI Lewis." Hogg snapped. Janine glanced at Richard who just smirked at her.

"Go on. Sooner you get there, the sooner you get it over." He smiled as Janine huffed.

"Right, come on then. Lets go and give the vultures what they want." Janine pouted as she followed her boss out of the room. Richard turned to the rest of the team, knowing Janine wouldn't want him there when she faced the press.

"Ok then, while they are talking to the vultures, I'm going to see what Hannah Grover's partners can tell us. There has to be more to this than we are seeing."

"Boss." Butchers frowned. "We thought there was a connection with saints but what if the women knew each other? They are all from such different backgrounds but what if there is something that links them in some way? I dunno an ex boyfriend? A job when they were at school? Something that puts them in the same field as Shapps' phone buddy."

"Shut up." Shapps growled as Richard nodded slightly.

"You know something? You aren't as daft as you look." Richard smiled as he grabbed his jacket and walked back out the room. Kat smirked slightly before returning to her case file. Butchers smiled for a moment before realising it hadn't been a compliment.

#############

Janine sat at the table overlooking the various journalists. Hogg sat on one side while Molly from Public Relations sat on the other. The flashing lights of cameras and quick fire questions aimed at her didn't unnerve her but the gut instinct that they were being played for fools wouldn't leave her. She took a sip of water as a blonde woman announced she was from the local radio station asked a question.

"No, as yet there have been no arrests." Janine answered honestly. "We need to know if anyone saw any of the women in the last twenty-four hours before they were killed. We need to know if anyone saw anything, anything at all that may not have seemed unusual at the time but might do now." She paused as the cameras flashed again, she had a nasty feeling the press were not going to be very helpful this time. She closed her eyes as her mobile phone rang. Hogg huffed in annoyance.

"I think that brings us to the end of this press conference." Hogg stated calmly as Janine slipped away and answered the phone. Her blood ran cold when she heard the voice on the other end of the line.

"It's over Janine. I told you I'd be back. Hannah was a warning. Tracey and Sarah were target practice. I had thought you would be my next plaything but breaking your heart is much more fun." She closed her eyes as she tried not to panic. The thought one of her kids were in danger. "When was the last time you saw Richard?" The line went dead as Janine turned and almost ran to the office, hoping against hope Richard was there.

###################

A/N More soon x


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer still not mine.**

**Never Tear Us Apart?**

Janine didn't really know how she got to the main office but the surprised look on Kat's face as she walked in must have meant she looked as though she had run to keep up with Jessica Ennis. She smiled slightly as she looked around the half deserted room. She knew she was panicking over nothing. Richard was fine. He was always fine. It was just him. He had the luck of the devil.

"Hi." She looked at Richard's deserted desk.

"Hi." Kat frowned at her as she watched her boss try and fail to suppress her nerves. "Ma'am?"

"Um?"

"Are you ok? How did it go?"

"How did what go?"

"The press conference."

"Oh yeah. That." Janine walked towards the desk Richard usually dumped all his stuff on before marching into her office and trying to persuade her to live a little.

"Well?"

"Ok." Janine sighed. "As well as can be expected. Any news from Richard?"

"No." Kat folded her arms. "Should there be?"

"I'd get hold of Shapps and Butchers. Get them back here. I'll deal with Hogg." She watched her most junior officer try to work out what was going on.

"Ok." Kat narrowed her eyes for a moment.

"Because I think this just got a lot more personal."

############################

Richard opened his eyes and immediately regretted it. He had no idea where he was or what had happened but his head hurt like hell and he knew he hadn't been out with the guys from work so a hangover was not the explanation. He tried to move, to get his hands where he could see them. It was then he realised his hands were tied behind his back making it almost impossible for him to move. Richard swore under his breath as the car boot opened to reveal the man Janine had been so worried about.

"Morning sunshine." The older man smiled. "Been talking to your mate. Good bloke."

"What do you want?" Richard narrowed his eyes.

"Me? World peace." He hauled Richard out of the boot and threw him onto the concrete floor of the garage.

"Bloody Hell. This is a bit exessive." He landed with a thud on both knees. The familar crunch of cartilage reminding him he wasn't a teenager anymore. He fought the urge to wince as the man laughed.

"Not kids anymore either."

"True."

"Mind you, that lovely lady of yours will be worried about your little 'uns. " He smiled as Richard tried to work out what was going on. It was when the third punch hit him that he realised the man reighing blows on him thought he was married to Janine and father to the two younger kids at least. He smirked as he realised the man had no idea what was going on.

"What have you done to the kids? I swear if you have even thought of touching them."

"You'll what? Oh man. My argument isn't with two little kids. Thomas and Charlotte are not my concern. Babies have never hurt me. Even Michael and Eleanor. They're not my concern. Their lying, double crossing parents are."

"You killed Danny Hunter." Richard thought outloud. Although he had never met the spook he knew Danny had saved Janine's life all those years ago.

"No. Wish I bleedin well 'ad. Wish I'd chicked the life out of that bitch you're setting your cap at."

"What is this? 1973? If you are going to kill me get on with it. Murdering a police officer means you ain't getting away with this. You killed three innocent women and you are not going to just walk away from that." Richard fell forward as the final blow landed. The tall, heavy set man stood over him before knealing down and digging Richard's phone out of his pocket.

"Lad, this is a nice bit of kit. Shame you wont be using it again." He looked up Janine's phone number in the contacts and pressed the call button. He was just beginning to enjoy himself. It was going to be a good day.

###############

"Missing?" Hogg stared at Janine and Shapps as they stood in front of her desk.

"Yes, Ma'am." Janine started, she was clearly worried and keen to get out of Hogg's office. "And it appears that his disappearance has something to do with the murder case."

"Elaborate." Hogg narrowed her eyes as Shapps closed his.

"I had a phone call earlier. Reckons he was the killer. I think Richard may have been taken because he is the loner of the group. I mean he's friendly enoguh but he never sticks with me and Butchers or Kat. If Ma'am is busy he tends to be on his own. Would be easy to pick him up when you and Janine were at the press conference.

"Makes sense. You two are peas in a pod." Hogg smirked. "Question is, where is he and how do we get him back?"

#############

A/N Just a quick chapter. Sorry if it makes no sense I've just finshed a night shift. :D


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer not mine. Not actually sure if anyone is reading this; not had any reviews for the last chapter so I can see me either deleting or wrapping this story up quickly. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed.**

**Between the Lines.**

"Missing?" Butchers looked at Kat and Shapps as if to check he had heard his friend correctly. "Richard? Richard that works here?"

"Yes." Shapps glanced towards Janine's office. He knew she would never admit it but he knew she was having a hard time dealing with the disappearance of DI Richard Mayne. He turned towards Butchers as Kat began to talk.

"Looks like Richard left here at the same time the Guv and DCS Hogg went to the press conference."

"Yeah." Butchers took his glasses off and put them back on again. "So that means he has been missing somewhere in the region of three hours. What do we do? Treat this as a regular MISPER or as a copper that's a Misper?"

"I dunno." Shaps answered. "I really don't know."

"Good job I do then." Janine smiled as all eyes fell on her. "Richard is not stupid. I know he acts like it at times but he really isn't. We will find him, in fact knowing him he'll walk back in that door and laugh at us lot for getting wound up. Until that happens Kat. You go through his computer. Butchers? You and Shaps go through the log. I want to know of any of his last cases that someone took a grudge personally against him. I've already called everyone I know that he does so he should he turn up with one of them we'll know."

"You're assuming?"

"No Shaps." Janine did her best not to snap. "No I am not assuming this investigation isn't linked to the other case but I am not just going to assume it is. Just because we had a phone call from your friend." She looked at him as he rolled his eyes "Doesn't mean we can take his word for it."

######################

"What the Hell is this about?" Richard tried to keep his voice in check. He groaned slightly as everything that could ache did but his overriding concern for Janine kept the pain to the back of his mind. He had to work out where he was, how he had got there seemed pretty obvious.

"You been a detective long?"

"A while." Richard answered. "You been a kidnapping, psycho long?"

"Nah." He smiled as Richard narrowed his eyes. "You hungry?"

"Hold on." Richard glared at the older man. "You beat seven shades of crap out of me then ask if I fancy a McDonalds?"

"Don't take things so personal. That's your problem. I told you I haven't touched the kids and I wont touch any of them. None of them are a problem to me to be honest with you. I have never touched a kid and I never will."

"That's reassuring." Richard tried and failed to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "Not concerned about leaving four kids orphaned though?"

"Tsk! You are as thick as you look. The older pair, their dad."

"Has no interest in them." Richard had no idea why he was talking to this man, especially about the kids he looked on as his own. He knew they were the closest thing he was going to get to having kids. There was no way he was going to let this man touch them.

"Damn shame. Deadbeat dad? That's the expression I believe." He shook his head. "I wish I'd have killed your mrs years back. Would have been simpler. Ah well." He got up and marched towards the other side of the room, he turned one last time to see Richard had moved from his place by the opposite wall.

"Not deadbeat stepdad though." Richard punched the guy in the stomach before the pair began brawling on the floor. Somewhere in the background a mobile phone rang.

######################

"Ok." Kat stared at the screen. "Ok, where are you?"

"CCTV?" Hogg stood with her hands on her hips. Kat nodded.

"Long shot. But you never know." Her eyes stayed fixed firmly on the screen. "The station has CCTV footage on the main entrance and along the streets either side."

"Richard didn't take his car." Janine stated. "I gave him a lift in earlier, his is in for an MOT. Should be scrapped if you ask me." She shrugged her shoulders as Kat smiled. It seemed neither the Guv nor her second in command realised they spoke like an old married couple.

"There." Kat turned the screen so that the other women could see. "Your press conference was at 4pm today. This was taken at ten past. He had already spoken to me and Butchers then."

"So? We know he was in the building until at least ten past. Sarah on the desk confirmed she saw him leave."

"Yes Ma'am." Janine suddenly got alot more animated. "Can you follow him? See where he went."

"Yeah. I can pull up the cameras in the car park." Kat pressed a few keys. Suddenly Richard could be seen walking out of the building towards the man gate. Janine smiled slightly, knowing he was probably headed towards the shop opposite the police station. Not even he could resist the raspberry cheesecake they sold.

"Camera outside Barney's?"

"The cake shop?"

"Yeah." Janine tried not to blush as she felt Hogg's gaze on her. It seemed that the senior officer did not approve of her relationship with her DI. In that moment Janine couldn't care what Louise Hogg thought of her. A killer on the loose and Richard missing were more worrying.

"There he is." Louise pointed at the screen. "Oh."

"Oh my God." Kat froze the screen as Janine covered her mouth with one hand. "Oh."

"I have the plates. I'll run them through the PNC and if that doesn't work I'll ring the DVLA in Swansea."

"Ok." Janine blinked to rid her eyes of the tears. "Ok, but I think I know where Richard is. Or at least where he was at half 4."

#####################

A/N Should I go on? PLease review.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer not mine.**

**Tears.**

Janine sat in the car as Kat drove towards the address she had been given. It seemed a long shot but there was no way Kat was going to tell her boss that. She could almost feel the tension radiating off Janine in waves. Kat clicked the indicator on and turned the car left knowing the boys were just behind her.

"Kat?"

"Yes Guv." Kat checked her wing mirror.

"You think I'm being stupid." She stated rather than asked. "I know you all gossip about me and Richard."

"Well." Kat sighed. "I."

"It's just if anything." She paused. "If anything happened to him because of me."

"It's not your fault some nutter psychopathic killer has kidnapped Richard." Kat started as Janine stared out of the passenger side window. A tear slipped down her check as she shook her head.

"It is." She sighed. "If I hadn't been so stupid all those years ago."

"Ma'am?" Kat had no idea what she was talking about but she knew there was something bothering her more than Richard's disappearance.

#############

"Bloody Hell." Richard grabbed his ribs as he staggered out of the room. The older man had been able to land one or two good punches and he knew he had at least two broken bones. His ribs burned and his jaw ached. The blood from his split lip dripped along his shirt as he leant against the wall and tried to catch his breath. He heard the man he now knew was Jacob Grovers yell out in frustration. Half of him wanted to go back into the cellar and try to arrest him while the other half wanted to run. He knew he had to get away but something kept him against the wall. The blinding pain in his ribs made him feel sick while the head wound made him dizzy. He swallowed hard before staggering out towards the door at the end of the corridor. Grovers slammed the door causing Richard to flinch. He knew if the former boxer caught up with him there was no way he was going to be able to fight back.

#################

"What the?" Shapps threw the car towards the wasteland behind the old factory as Butchers pushed his glasses further up his nose. The rain had started again and his small car was no match for the mud and sludge the wasteland had turned into.

"There's Kat and the Guv." Butchers nodded.

"I know." Shapps glared as he saw Kat step out the car. "Look, mate. This Grovers the Guv told us about has already killed three people in the last couple of months. He ain't going to be bothered about killing a forth. Be prepared for it. Ok?"

"You think Richard is dead?" Butchers was shocked to the core. He hadn't imagined for one moment they weren't going to see their friend again.

"I bloody hope not. For her sake as much as anything." He nodded to where Janine was stood in the rain.

"Her sake?" Butchers asked.

"Oh for God's sake you are a detective." Shapps rolled his eyes. "There has been something between those two for years."

"Has there?" Butchers turned to him. "They're mates I know. But? Really The Guv and the Boss?"

"Oh for pity's sake." Shapps half laughed and got out of the car.

#################

"Shit." Kat ran a hand through her rain soaked hair. She felt sick knowing that the man that had killed three young women could be anywhere near by. She glanced across at an abandoned van and swallowed hard. She had been there before, she knew she had. Janine frowned as she turned to her.

"I was sure."

"Do you recognise this place?" Kat asked as the rain soaked them both.

"The first body was found about a mile from here." Janine was back in work mode. She knew that the younger woman had seen something she hadn't.

"Yeah, but."

"What? This is where the industrial estate was going to be put before the council vetoed it about five years back. Something to do with the cellars in one of those buildings and sewage." She looked over at the abandoned factory and felt her blood run cold. "I should know it. But..." She tuned back to Kat.

"It's where we found you. When you had that bang on the head."

"Oh. Well, I don't remember much of that and anyway it doesn't matter now." She turned to her left as Shapps aging Clio pulled into the sodden ground of the wasteland. He said something to Butchers before opening the car door. Seconds later the sound of thunder drowned out any other sound. Butchers swore while Shapps ducked behind the car as the second thunder-clap hit.

"Shit."

"What?" Janine looked around as the rain stung her eyes. Her hair plastered to her face she squinted as a figure emerged from a doorway. "Oh my God." She was suddenly moving as Kat realised what was going on.

"Shapps!" She yelled as she began running after Janine. "Get an ambulance. NOW! Oh shit." She reached Janine's side just as the man collapsed on her.

"Richard." Janine half sobbed as she saw the extent of his injuries. He tried to smile before his eyes closed and his full weight fell on the two women.

"Oh shit." Shapps grabbed his friend around the waist and began to help Janine drag him towards the car. "Butchers called the ambulance but by the looks of things they better get a move on."

"Hey!" Butchers yelled as they staggered along with a semi conscious Richard between them. Kat turned and saw what Butchers had. She stepped back and yelled but the man in the doorway skulked back into the building.

"Police!" Kat yelled but the man stayed in the shadows. Butchers ran towards them, slipping in the mud as he went. Kat turned on her heel and ran while Shapps and Janine called after her. The storm drowned out the yells of her colleagues and senior officer. Suddenly she was alone with the man who had killed three women and tried to kill her friend.

"Grovers?" Kat breathed heavily as the man stepped forward. One eye swollen closed proved Richard hadn't been the only one to get a lucky punch in.

"Hiya. Thought your boss would come after me, finish what we started twelve years back."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." She stepped forward but stopped. The knife in his left hand already dripped with blood. Kat felt sick, she knew the others would be concentrating on Richard. She knew time was running out.

"You should have asked her." Grovers laughed. "I'll tell you what I told your boy. I have no qualms with you, or the boys on your team. Not with the kids either but her. My wife sold me out years back to that bitch but I didn't do the time I was sentenced to. Been a good boy see? Released early for good behaviour. Tracey and Sarah were practice. Knew you'd all be looking for a pattern but I wouldn't be that obvious. Nah, Hannah had it coming. Now Janine does too."

"Is that right?" Kat kept her eyes on the knife.

"Yeah." He nodded. "But you had tobe the one who followed me in 'ere."

"Yeah. Sorry to disappoint you."

"I'm not." Kat flinched as she heard Janine. The kick to the back of his leg took him by surprise. Kat lunged forward as he stumbled. She grabbed his hand as he fell forward allowing the knife to fall to the floor. "It's over Jacob. "Janine held him on the ground as Kat cuffed him. The sounds of ambulance sirens cut through the air as Janine fought the urge to cry.

"You are under arrest."

#######################

A/N More soon x Please reivew if you are reading this.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer not mine.**

**Little White Lies?**

"Guv." Shapps half jogged along the hospital corridor towards Janine. She kept her eyes on the floor as he reached her. The rest of the hospital seemed oblivious to what was going on around them. She closed her eys as seh felt her junior officer reach her.

"Guv?"

"What is it?" She sighed heavily.

"Kat and Hogg are going to interview Grovers and Griffiths has just confessed to providing an alibi for the scum and aiding and abetting."

"Good." Janine tried to smile but she knew it was fake.

"All the others are back at the station. SOCO are going over the cellar and we have his address now so we are sending teams over there now. We've got them. It's over." He watched as Janine nodded.

"Yeah."

"He will be ok, you know that?" Shapps spoke quietly as a young nurse walked towards them. Janine nodded once before turning to look at Shapps for the first time since he had arrived in the hospital.

"Yeah." She sighed slightly just as the nurse reached them.

"Are you with Richard Mayne?" The nurse spoke quietly. Shapps nodded.

"Yeah, my colleague is trying to get hold of his mum and dad but they're in Spain on holiday." Shapps explained.

"It's ok." The nurse smiled. "I think telling his fiancé how he is counts as telling his next of kin."

"Fiance?" Janine had no idea how the nurse had got that idea. Shapps smirked.

"Oh. Sorry, its just that an Ian Butchers phoned and said Richard's fiancé and friend were in the waiting area. I assumed."

"That's ok. You assumed right luv." Shapps lied as Janine tried to get her head around what Shapps and Butchers had been up to in the hour since she had arrived at the hospital. The nurse nodded before ushering both police officers to the small relatives room.

"The doctor will be able to give you more details but Richard will be in hospital overnight. The Bed Manager is trying to find him a bed on the surgical unit."

"Surgical?" Janine felt something inside her guts twist. Richard hated hospitals, always had done. She kenw there was no way he was going to agree to stay there.

"Yeah, because he sustained injuries rather than came in with an illness."

"Right." Shapps nodded. "'Ow is he?"

"Are you family?" The door opened to see a young doctor walked in. Shapps nodded.

"Sort of, we work with him and Janine here is his fiancé." Shapps only half lied. Janine nodded once while she clasped her hands, hoping that neither the nurse or doctor didn't realise she wasn't wearing an engagement ring. Her divorce had only just come through as it was.

"Ok." The doctor sat down. "My name is Dr Morrissey. I've looked after Richard since he arrived."

"How is he?" Janine spoke for the first time.

"We have sent him to have a CT scan on his head."

"Oh God." Janine was sure she was going to be sick.

"That's mainly because of the black eye he has. He also has a few broken ribs and we have had to pop a chest drain in as the broken rib went into his left lung. That may have been why he collapsed when you got to him. He's a very lucky man."

"Sounds it." Shapps answered sarcastically.

"On the face of it, yes he is." Dr Morrissey stated calmly. "The injuries suggest he was the victim of a serious assault. I am surprised he regained consciousness when he did."

"He's awake?" Janine wanted to scream at the doctor for not telling her that the moment he had walked in the room.

"He's groggy but yes, he woke up a short while after he arrived."

"Can I see him?" Janine didn't care that Shapps was hearing how worried she was. "I mean, if I'm not in the way."

"No, you wont be in the way. As soon as he gets back from scan I'll have the nurse come to collect you." The doctor smiled before shaking Shapps' hand and leaving.

#######################

"Do you believe that?" Kat walked alongside Butchers as they headed back to the squad room.

"Nah, unbelievable." Butchers nodded. "He's sick in the 'ed."

"Indeed." Both officers stopped as they realised Hogg was just behind them. "But even so we will treat this as any other case. Is that understood."

"Ma'am." Butchers narrowed his eyes. For the first time Kat realised why the others disliked the woman so much. DSI Hogg literally made it clear she barely tolerated Janine at the best of times while her team were a mere annoyance. Now that they had the man in custody that had put Richard in hospital the woman was still as cold as ice.

"Thank you." She walked past them. Butchers rolled his eyes.

"Oh Ma'am?"

"Yes DS Butchers." She turned to face them both as Kat glanced between the two officers.

"I'll give Richard your best then, shall I?"

"Oh yes. Yes of course." She snapped before walking away. Kat glared after her as her heels clicked against the shiny floor.

##########

Janine stood in the doorway of the A&E resus room unsure if she should venture any further. Richard had been back from his scan for a little over thirty minutes before the nurse had been able to collect her. Shapps had been sent back to the station minutes earlier but in that moment she wished he had stayed behind.

"Mum?"

"Michael." Janine turned to see her oldest child staring at her. "How did?"

"Tom and the girls are with Lucy. They're fine. I heard on the news so I phoned the station. Kat told me Richard had been in an accident."

"Oh right." She nodded as her eyes filled with tears.

"Mum, was it an accident?" Michael waited as she shook her head. "It was a case, was't it? That big case you've had on?"

"Yeah." Janine's voice broke as Michael hugged her to him.

"Oh Mum." He hugged her. "You better stop crying before he sees you."

"Oh God." Janine wiped away a tear and nodded.

"Go on." He smiled. "I'll go and ring Lucy, Ellie will be chewing her ear off about this. You know what she's like."

"Yeah." Janine nodded before turning around and faced the doorway again. She knew Richard needed her, she just hoped he didn't blame her for what happened. Not when she blamed herself.

####################

A/N Not much more left. Please review. Next time Janine and Richard finally see each other.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer not mine. Probably the penultimate chapter. Do I write more Blue Murder stories? Let me know.**

**Reunion**

Janine sighed as she took a step forward. She knew her son was right but the guilt was almost too much. She knew Richard had been hurt because of his relationship with her. There was no way Grover would have gone after him if it hadn't been for her. After all, she reasoned Butchers and Shapps were ok. She bit her lip as she reached the bed. Richard was quieter than she had ever seen him. The gentle rise and fall of his chest accompanied by the insistent beeps from the monitor told her he was still alive. Janine bit back a sob as she watched him. One eye swollen closed. His chest and face a patchwork of red marks and bruises.

"Janine." He smiled slightly as she stepped nearer. "Stop."

"Oh." Janine blinked as a tear escaped. "I'm sorry. I knew I shouldn't have come. Michael's waiting for me." She turned to go as she heard Richard swear.

"Janine." He called as he struggled to sit up. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Home. Grover's is in the cells. And Griffiths."

"Thank God for that."

"We've added false imprisonment, abduction and attempted murder to his charges. Griffiths gets Perverting the Course of Justice added too."

"Ok." Richard took a deep breath. "Look, I'm not being funny but it hurts like Hell to sit like this. Come back here."

"You just told me to go."

"No." He smiled slightly. "I told you to stop. Stop blaming yourself. And stop crying."

Janine closed her eyes for a moment before crossing back to him. "Nurses reckon you'll be in at least a week. That chest drain has to be out before you can even consider leaving."

"I know. Breathing is much easier with it in."

"That's good." Janine sighed. "Oh God. It should have been me."

"No." Richard took her hand. "Don't ever say that. You don't say that. He's have killed you. You know that."

Janine nodded. Tears streamed down her face as she wiped at them with her free hand. Richard brought her hand to his lips as she smiled slightly. "Maybe."

"You know he would."

"Yeah." Janine sighed. "I think I'd rather that than seeing you like this."

"What would Michael and Ellie do? What about Tom and Charlotte? They love you. They need their mum."

Janine closed her eyes as he released her hand. She knew he was right but it didn't lessen the guilt that gripped her heart.

"I was so scared. I thought. When I saw you in that doorway." She sighed as he touched her face.

"Don't get rid of me that easy."

"Richard." She smiled. "I."

"I love you." He watched as she held his gaze. "And none of this was your fault. It was all his. He killed those women. He knocked me senseless and did this. Not you." She held his hand as a young nurse walked in and picked up a drugs chart.

"Are you sure you don't need any painkillers?" She bit her lip as she realised what she was interrupting. "Call me if you change your mind." She scurried away as Janine stood up.

"Shapps and the others will want to know. Michael has gone to ring home; the kids are in bits."

"Why?" Richard was immediately concerned. "What happend to the kids?"

"Nothing." Janine kissed his forehead and smiled. She knew he loved the kids as much as he loved her. "Tom and the girls are with Lucy. They've been worried about you. Apparently Michael saw it on the news so rang work. Kat told him you've had an accident. I told him the truth. He's eighteen, he's old enough to know."

"The kids are worried about me?"

"Seems it isn't just me that's fallen for you." Janine closed her eyes and kissed him again. "Get well. Rest and for God's sake do as the doctors and nurses tell you. I need you back in one piece."

"Yeah." Richard smiled. He had never thought of himself as a family man and knew that the thought of getting involved with a divorcee with four kids should send him running for the hills but it didn't. He watched as Janine tucked her hair behind her ear.

"God I must look a sight."

"You do." Richard teased. "Don't look at me like that. I can only see you out of one eye." He teased as she rolled her eyes.

"I have to go and talk to Michael and check on the kids but I'll be back."

"Ok." He sighed. "And please stop blaming yourself. I know you, remember."

"I'll try." She watched as he closed his good eye. Part of her wanted to know what he saw in her. A divorcee with four demanding children and an ex husband who was a pain in the neck. She knew they had always been friends but it seemed strange that he could see more in her than just that. His friend and his boss. She brushed a strand of brown hair away from a nasty bruise on his forehead before kissing him gently. "Rest." She whispered as the smile spread along his lips. "Oh and I love you too." She whispered, certain she hadn't been heard.

Richard opened his good eye as Janine slipped out the door. He couldn't help but smile. It was the first time she had said it but he hoped he would hear her say it again.

######################

A/N Probably just the epilogue now. Please review.

A/


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer not mine but thanks for reading. **

**Epilogue.**

The rain battered the streets as the early October air chilled her to the bone. It didn't seem to matter. All Janine could think about was that awful day a few weeks earlier when she had thought Richard was dead. It still ripped her heart to pieces when she thought of all the bruises and scars that had battered his body. Sighing heavily she smiled as she felt warm arms wrap around her.

"You'll catch your death out here."

"Yeah." She agreed but showed no sign of moving. "Richard?"

"Umm?" He hugged her as her hands covered his.

"You ok?"

"Be better when the verdict is in." He knew she was just as nervous as him. The steps of the Old Bailey were sodden as the autumn weather got worse. Janine nodded once before turning in his arms. Richard stepped back slightly.

"Not long now." She held his gaze, unaware that Kat was jogging across the road to meet them.

"Guv? Boss?" Kat paused as the couple broke apart. She couldn't help the slight smile on her face as she realised she had interupted them.

"What is it?" Janine was suddenly all business. Richard smiled, knowing that the others would never see her acting anything less than professional. Her relationship with Richard may have been out in the open but she was still the Guv, as she never tired of reminding him.

####################

"Bloody Hell." Shapps began pacing the small Police Only room in the court as Butchers sat in the chaor opposite the window. He had no idea why Kat was taking so long. She had been sent to find their two senior officers what seemed like hours ago. In reality it was only ten minutes.

"Where's the fire?" Janine smiled as they walked into the room.

"The fire?" Butchers' looked up. "What?"

"What's the rush?" Richard smiled at the hapless detective.

"Court Officer came looking for you." Shapps explained. "The verdict is in, they want us all back in court in ten minutes."

Janine nodded solomly before turning to see Richard stare at the floor. She knew this was what they had been waiting for. Jake Grovers had brutally murdered three women and left Richard for dead. Now he was going to prison. She just couldn't entertain the thought that the jury would find him anything other than guilty.

#############################

"Muuuuummmmmmm!" Tom yelled as she unlocked the door.

"Give me a chance. We've only just walked through the door. Where's Lucy?"

"In here." The child minder yelled as both Richard and Janine took their coats off and threw them over the bannister.

"Everything ok?" Richard laughed as Tom half pulled Janine towards the kitchen.

"We've been baking."

"Oh God." Janine rolled her eyes.

"What?" Tom asked as Richard stiffled a laugh.

"Oh good. I definately said Oh good." Janine smiled while Tom threw the kitchen door open. Charlotte and Ellie were covered in flour and giggling while Lucy wiped her hands. He caught Janine's eye and smiled, it seemed as though things could begin to get back to normal. For the first time in a long time he felt safe, knowing Grover was begining a life sentance at Her Majesty's pleasure.

"Fairy cakes went a bit wrong. Right, I'm off." Lucy smiled as she left the kitchen. The football blared out from the TV in the kitchen as Richard rested against the doorframe. He had no idea when it had happened or quite how but somehow he knew he was home.

#################

A/N And that's all folks. Do I write another?


End file.
